Device for attaching a tubular antenna to a television receiver



y 7 v. D. KRIBS DEVICE FOR ATTACHING A TUBULAR ANTENNA TO A TELEVISIONRECEIVER Filed May 5, 1955 FIG-.2.

INVENTOR. VERNON l7. Kmas A? ,4 T TO/FNE Y States DEVICE FOR ATTACHING ATUBULAR AN TENNA TO A TELEVISION RECEIVER This invention relates toimprovements in connectors for electrical members and more especially adevice for electrically interconnecting a tubular antenna with thelead-in posts of a television receiver.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a device for such anattachment, wherein there is no necessity for crimping wires, or forsoldering or using similarly time-consuming methods for interconnectingthe parts of the device together to make a good and efiicient electricalconnection thereat. r

Another object of the invention is to so construct such a device,wherein the connection thus made will be quite strong and will avoidaccidental breakage at the connection in the event that the receiver isaccidentally shifted from its room position even though a temporarystrain occurs at the connection.

An added object of my invention is to so construct such an attachmentdevice that it will require no scraping of the antenna insulation thatcovers the lead-in conductors therein, or which will otherwise requirebaring of said conductors in order to make a good electrical connection.

A further object of the invention is to so construct such a device thatthe interengagement of the cooperating electrical elements will be heldsealed against the entrance of dirt, water or other undesired matterthereinto.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown anddescribed will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which thisinvention appertains, as will be more clearly pointed out in thefollowing specification.

To this end, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement,combination and the form of parts herein shown and described, all aswill be more clearly pointed out in the following description andclaims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters represent like orcorresponding parts throughout the views,

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the various parts ofthe device prior to their assembly; and

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, partly in elevation,showing the device after assembly.

The tubular antenna that is generally used in leading from an outsideaerial to the television receiver set itself, is relatively weak and hasconductors of quite small diameter. Hence, whenever strain is imposed onsuch conductors, as by moving the receiver about in the ordinary courseof household service operations, such as in cleaning, dusting, washing,etc., it often happens that the connection between the receiver set andsuch antenna is broken. One of the important objects of this inventionis to improve this connection so that it is strong enough to withstandgreater strain than heretofore.

In the drawings, wherein 'I have illustrated a preferred embodiment ofmy invention, there is shown a common type of tubular antenna A used tolead into the house from an outside aerial, and which is intended to beconnected to the lead-in posts for that purpose, on the re- 2,799,838Patented July 16, 1957 ceiver set itself. This antenna is preferablymade of some moulded or otherwise suitably formed insulating material,often of a rubber or rubber-like composition, and into which a pair ofelectrical conductors 1--1 are embedded to extend therealong inspaced-apart parallel relation, somewhat as indicated, and in thisinstance, said conductors are slightly outwardly beyond the innerbounding wall 'of the tubular member, and the insulation covering 2 isextended in the form of longitudinally extending ribs 33.

Any peeling away of this insulation covering in order to bare theconductors for winding about said lead-in posts, or for soldering to thesame, or even for connection with some sort of lugs or the like that aredetachably connected to said posts, result in a further weakening of thetensile strength of said tubular antenna and is to be avoided whereverpossible.

In my improved interconnecting device, I obtain good electricalengagement between the parts without peeling or similar baring of theconductor wires, as will now be seen.

A member B made of some suitable relatively 'hard insulating material,such as a plastic or the like that may be cast or moulded into itsdesired shape, is used, and has a rearwardly projecting lug portion 4 inthe form of an elongated pin, preferably gradually tapered in transversecross-sectional shape toward its terminal end so as to more readily beinsertable into an adjacent end of the tubular antenna as indicated inFig. l, the length of thislug being as found most suitable in performingits intended function.

A pair of lead-in wires 5-5 of much heavier diameter and strength thanthose conductors in the antenna, and relatively rigid andself-supporting, are arranged in spaced-apart parallel relation, thespacing being substantially equal to the spacing apart of the pair ofconductors, the forwardly projecting portions of said wires 55 being ofany suitable length and if desired, may have hooks 7--7 thereat forattachment to the posts of the receiver set (not shown).

These wires 5-5 are firmly secured in the member B, and the rearwardlyextending portion of each wire is provided with laterally outwardlydirected teeth or prongs 8 spaced longitudinally therealong, and theseries of teeth on each wire may be of gradually reduced height orlength as they approach the terminal end of the pin, somewhat asindicated. It might be mentioned here that the pairs of series of teethare so spaced apart that when the member B is actuated relatively towardthe adjacent open end of the tubular antenna, and the pin portion entersthe latter, the teeth, or at least the tallest teeth, will cut throughthe insulation covering said conductors and will make electrical contactwith the latter.

To further insure good electrical contact between the conductors and thelead-in wires, a sleeve 9 is slidably mounted on the tubular antenna A,with separate channels receiving the ribs 33, and the bore through saidsleeve may be slightly tapered from end to end if desired, somewhat asindicated.

Now, after the forward end of the tubular antenna member has receivedthe rear end of the pin and the teeth on the latter, to coversubstantially all of said teeth, said sleeve is shifted so as toencircle said toothed portion of the pin, and this shifting of thesleeve acts to compress said end of the antenna to cause said teeth tobite through the insulation of the latter and make an especially goodinterlocked and electrical engagement between the parts.

in order to limit longitudinal movement in one direction between saidantenna member and the member B, I have arranged an abutment 10 toextend radially outwardly from said pin adjacent the inner end of thepin and preferably spaced slightly longitudinally from the moisture,dirt, etc. therethrough and which might be" deleterious to theefficiency of the electrical connections between the wires andconductors.

In an attachment device as hereinbefore described, there is no need ofremoving any of the covering or insulation from the conductors, andadditional support is given to the antenna conductors so as to improvetheir strain-resisting characteristics.

I claim:

member of substantially uniform bore to the antenna lead-in posts of atelevision receiver, said member provided with a pair of electricalconductors embedded with in the insulation of said member and extendingalong the latter in spaced-apart parallel relation, aninsulatingmaterial plug having a portion insertible into an open end ofsaid antenna member and of a size to laterally expand the latter tofrictionally maintain said plug and member together as a unit, and apair of relatively rigid strong lead-in wires carried by said plug andeach of said wires having one end projecting forwardly for attachment tosaid posts and their other end anchored in said plug and provided withtransversely outwardly extending teeth of a length to cut through theinner wall of said tubular member to make contact with said conductorsupon insertion of the plug into said open end of said antenna member.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1, but further characterized in thatsaid plug is decreasingly tapered in crosssection toward its terminalend to be smaller than the antenna member bore for ready insertion ofthe plug into said antenna member uniformly-bored open end.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1, but further characterized in thatthe forward end of said plug is provided with a radially outwardlyprojecting abutment to engage the adjacent open end of the tubularantenna member to limit further insertion of said plug thereinto.

4. In a device for attaching a tubular antenna member of substantiallyuniform bore to the antenna lead-in posts of a television receiver, saidtubular member having a pair of spaced-apart electrical conductorsembedded therein and extending therealong, a plug made of insulatingmaterial and having a portion slidably insertible into an Open end ofsaid tubular member, said portion being sufficiently larger than saidbore to radially expand the antenna member to frictionally maintain saidplug and antenna member together as a unit, and a pair oflead-in wirescarried by said plug and each having a forwardly extending portion forattachment to one of the lead-in postsand with a series of teeth on theportion that extends rearwardly, said pairs of series of teeth beingspaced apart a distance substantially equal to the spacing apart of saidconductors and with at least some of said teeth being sufficiently longso that insertion of the plug into said tubular member will cause saidteeth to cut through the inner wall of the latter to contact saidconductors. Y

5. In a device for attaching a tubular antenna member of substantiallyuniform bore to the lead-in posts of a television receiver, said memberhaving a pair of spacedapart conductors embedded therein and in parallelrelation with one another, said member being made of compressibleinsulating material, a plug insertible into an open end of said tubularmember, and a pair of spacedapart lead-in wires carried by said plug andhaving one of their ends provided with radially outwardly projectingteeth, the teeth on the pair of wires being spaced apart approximatelythe distance of the spacing apart of said conductors, and a sleeveencircling said tubular member and movable therealong to compress theinsulating material of said member onto said teeth to interlock thelatter into contact with said conductors and prevent accidentalwithdrawal of said plug from said tubular member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,121,063 Walter June 21, 1938 2,434,475 Sullivan Ian. 13, 19482,543,696 7 Krueger Feb. 27, 1951

